Tag: Challenge

Without a strong mind, the odds of success drop substantially and the chance of impacting the world becomes harder and harder. If you have been wondering how it is someone can develop the mindset of success, the answer you seek lies within your own self.

Making the Change

Over and over again we remind ourselves of the things we wish to change in our life. Whether it’s to workout more, study better, or make more money we struggle on a daily basis to fulfill these promises to ourselves.

Making the change first starts with the realization of where you are at a particular moment in life and figuring out how to improve it. When you can come to grasp with where you are, figuring out your direction becomes easier and easier. The issue with why people never get past this step is due to the longevity of maintaining the change. Anyone can say they want to lose weight, but not everyone has the internal drive to consistently go to the gym and workout to lose that weight. Nothing in life is given, only through hard work and dedication does true change happen.

“If you’re going through hell, keep going.” -Winston Churchill

In other words, you must first fail in order to succeed. Without the feeling of defeat, we can never begin to understand the true value of mental growth. Knowledge itself is the most valuable aspect of life, more valuable than money or fame. Gaining knowledge, however, is something most people may never quite understand. With that being said, human experience is a perfect example of a factor that contributes to the overall idea of gaining knowledge. What we go through impacts how we behave and think which results in our lives being directed down a specific path. Although this may seem easy, without one HUGE component, you will never be able to change your life or mindset.

“Knowledge has a beginning but no end” -Geeta Iyengar

Without patience, none of this is possible. When patience is developed, knowledge can be gained; and when knowledge is gained, change can be made.

“Have patience. All things are difficult before they become easy.” -Saadi

I truly believe that everyone has a gift to share with this world. Whatever that gift is, you have the ability to recognize it, develop it, and act on it. People often go through life with regret, anger, and confusion. Some may never even fully understand who they are as a person. If you are someone that is living your life just going through the motions, I can PROMISE you that with a little internal drive and patience, you will be surprised what can be accomplished. Everyone deserves to feel happy, fulfilled, and loved but it first starts with understanding who you truly are. Don’t wait any longer, start taking steps in the right direction and find out how truly amazing life can be.

Have you ever heard someone be described as a trailblazer? The term trailblazer refers to someone who paved the way, or blazed, a trail for others to follow in. In doing so, these people have a profound impact on society but more importantly on humanity as a whole. The beliefs, teachings, and words used by people of such influence can be seen present in the world long after they are gone.

One of the most influential trailblazers, Martin Luther King Jr., paved the way for the African American community during the civil rights movement. Not only did he take a stand for what he believed right, but he also united an entire race to achieve justice for all. In his famous speech “I have a dream” he shared with the world his dream of equality for not just a group of people but for all people. Still to this day many continue to reflect back on MLK’s stand against inequality which shows how much influence he had and still has on the world today.

Let me give you an example that may give a clear picture of a trailblazer does.

Imagine yourself standing at the edge of the woods. Peering into the forest, you see there are many branches and other obstacles that stand in the way of exploring deeper. At first, when you enter the woods, it is hard to navigate through the tall trees and after a while you decide to turn back. The next time you enter the same spot and begin knocking down branches and other obstacles that make it hard to maneuver through the wooded area. A couple more times go by and a visible opening appears making it easy to enter and exit. Over time, a path begins to form allowing easy access to entry and opportunity to go farther into the forest. After awhile you start inviting friends to join you on hikes through the woods and they learn of this “path” of exploration.

What does this have to do with paving the way for humanity? Well even though it is just a simple example, it explains the concept of what a trailblazer truly does.

With that being said, the “Trailblazer Method” is based off of one simple idea…

Anticipating the road ahead.

I believe that when you know what to expect, in any situation, you can start figuring out how to be successful. Whether it’s trying to improve a relationship or maybe just trying to be a better person, knowing the road ahead can be very beneficial. However, in order to anticipate what is to come you must first learn from past and present experiences.

Some ways people can use this method is to help improve their lives and others lives at the same time. When one can figure out what influences them, they can begin to figure out what influences the people around them. This is one characteristic that all trailblazers have in common.

Everyday people are looking for new leaders to stand up and take a stand for what is right in this world. Don’t wait for someone else to have the way, you pave the way. Begin to think of some situations in your own life that can be made easier using the “trailblazer method.” How could anticipating the road ahead make it easier for you to succeed?

"Be formless, shapeless like water. When you pour water into a cup, it becomes the cup. When you pour water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle. When you pour water into a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Water can flow and it can crash. Become like water my friend."

Although, Bruce Lee was describing water, the deeper meaning behind this quote is the comparison to humans. Strangely enough, when one can go outside their comfort zone to achieve something, it will be achieved. When a person puts their whole mind into achieving a dream, they will achieve that dream. The moment you begin to believe you can, you will.

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According to the Greek philosopher Aristotle, “It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.” Strangely enough, all the struggles, challenges, and problems that we face are here to help us rather than break us down. Don’t believe me? Just take a look at some of the most successful people on the planet and what they were forced to overcome.

Take Thomas Edison for example. While attempting to create the light bulb, he was faced with failure a thousand times. After the hundredth time, most people would have given up but not Edison. Day and night he worked until finally the worlds first electric light bulb was created.

His response to previous failures, “I have not failed, I’ve just found 1,000 ways that it won’t work.” Now, this is one man that against all odds focused on finding a way to overcome and in doing gave light to the world.

Both our failed and successful attempts are what shapes us in the future. Furthermore, the meaning we have for every failure or success directly affects the outcome we have. When the Wright brothers attempted to fly a plane everyone called them insane. Instead of giving up they persisted to make their dream a reality. After every failed design, rather than focus on what they did wrong, they asked themselves what they could do better. Slowly but surely they developed the Wright Flyer I which was a major success.

Today, eight million people, every day, fly all around the world thanks to the perseverance of these two brothers.

No matter where you were then or where you are now, just remember that you have the choice to change where you will go. Just like eighteenth-century poet William Ernest Henley once said,”I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.” Don’t allow circumstances or other people to define the life you live; YOU create your own.

Socrates once said, “The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” Although it may sound simple there is a deeper meaning that lies beneath these words of wisdom.

In each moment we are making a decision on what to focus on which will determine what we believe and how we act. Let’s use baseball for example. A pop fly is hit to center field and like several times before the outfielder gets into position to make an easy play. Just before the ball begins to drop the sun blinds the player which affects his ability to make the catch. By the time he recovers the ball is lying on the ground and two base runner have score putting the other team ahead by one. The inning ends and the players return to the dug out ready to reclaim the lead. Meanwhile, the center fielder continues to focus on how he screwed up such an easy out. Too much in life people focus solely on all that is wrong and focus so little on what they can do to correct the actual mistake. In this situation, the baseball player is choosing to focus on the fact that because he dropped the ball and because of that they lost the lead. Yes, all of this is true, but what he should be focusing on is the next opportunity to get his team back in the lead. By doing this he understands what he did wrong while also focusing on ways he can help his team get back into the game. Ironically, he is the next batter up to hit. Besides the fact of what just happened, he steps up to the plate confidently ready to make a big play. With a runner on first base, the pitcher throws the ball. CRACK! He crushes the ball into left field

soaring over the outfield wall.

The home run puts them in lead and they win the game. This is the result of him making the decision to focus on the present rather than in the past.

It doesn’t just apply to baseball, this concept pertains to every aspect of life. Whether it’s choosing to focus on a certain mood, emotion, or relationship all of it contributes to our actions. Furthermore, how we act throughout our life determines the quality of lifestyle that is adopted. Continuing to focus only on the bad will cause frustration which flows into anger leading to depression.

On the other hand, focusing on the deeper meaning in any particular situation and then using that to move forward will create more opportunities to succeed.

In a sense, we are what we believe we are. There nothing in the world that is more powerful than the internal focus of one’s mind which if mastered can open doors you’ve never imagined. The idea of choosing what to focus on may seem quite easy but the complexity comes from within. As a matter of fact, the level of difficulty it takes to learn internal focus is entirely up to what we want it to be.

Above all, do not get confused with the idea that there is a specific way that all people should focus or think. In my opinion, I believe that everyone has their own way of thinking and dealing with circumstances in their life. For some, it may be helping the poor. For others, it could be violence.

Now, I DO NOT believe violence is the way to solve a problem but it doesn’t matter what I believe, people will act out of violence no matter what.

Ultimately, I don’t have to accept the lifestyle of others but what I must do is respect the reality they have decided to live in. Meaning the way we choose to live each day of our lives doesn’t have to be determined by those of another. At the same time, being able to respect someone else’s lifestyle allows one to perceive how they want to live their own life and how they do not. This is known as bridging realities. Bridging the reality between two individuals lets us take the time to reinvent beliefs while also adopting new standards for the way of life we wish to live.

Above all, it’s the ability to bounce back after a failure that shows a person’s true character. Roy T. Bennett said it best, “the one who falls and gets back up is much stronger than the one who never tried at all. Do not fear failure but rather fear not trying.” That being said, if you haven’t taken anything away from this just remember one thing. The single most important decision we are constantly making is what to focus on. Choosing to master the mind can allow us to begin living the life we’ve always dreamed. The faster you can learn internal focus the faster you can change your life.

Time can be a valuable asset if you use it to your advantage. Everybody, no matter who they are, has twenty-four hours a day to do whatever they choose to do. The choice of what to do with that time is entirely up to you.

Time management is a crucial skill for somebody that wants to see substantial progress in their life. To master time we must first look at two areas that will have the most impact on how you spend your day.

Standard

The standard you set for yourself day to day is the determining factor in how productive your weeks, months, and years will be. Also know as benchmarking, setting a standard is a powerful tool that if used correctly can make even the hardest aspects of life easy. Training yourself to not get so caught up in what everyone else is doing but rather focus on what is going to make you better each day, will be rewarding in the long run.

Another thing to think about it what skills you posses. How could they be of value? Build on those skills and begin to lay the foundation for future success that will add more value to your way of life.

Driving Forces

Knowing what drives you to wake up every morning is essential in time management. Driving forces can be anything from a particular person in your life to an emotion. An example of a specific emotion that acts as a common driving force is fear of failing. The emotion of fear can either ruin a person or make them that much better. When a person lets the fear of failure consume them often times they fail at whatever they are trying to accomplish. But the person that uses failure as a driving force allows that fear to make them that much better.

It goes back to the idea of how emotions drive us to either fail or succeed. If you want to learn more about your emotions go check out Ways to Deal with Emotions.

In Ways to Deal with Emotions I laid out the steps that a person can take to find the true meaning behind their emotions. However, putting these steps into action is just the first part in being a success. Now that you have your emotions in check I can begin explaining the “Secret to Success”

When traveling to a certain destination it always helps to have directions on how to get there. What happens when you don’t know the directions? You end up getting lost. The same goes for life but on a much larger scale. With that being said the first part to the “Secret to Success” is knowing the road ahead. Seeing what is in front of you will give you the ultimate advantage of anticipation. A wise man once said, “You can’t anticipate and lead unless you first lead yourself.” When someone anticipates the obstacles that arise in their life they can begin to put a plan into place allowing them to live the life they have always dreamed.

We can’t read minds or predict the future so how can we anticipate? The answer is engagement. Being fully engaged will work wonders in your life. When talking of engagement I’m referring to how you go through your daily activities. How do you interact with others? Are you fully engaged, partially engaged, or not engaged at all? When someone is fully engaged there is no limit to what they can do. But when someone is partially engaged or not engaged at all, the result is slim to none.

A study shows that 13% of all employees worldwide are engaged at work. That means only one-eighth of the global workforce is engaged in their daily activity. That leaves the 87% of the global workforce disengaged. Remember when someone is fully engaged the results are limitless. But a person that is partially engaged or disengaged gets little to no results at all. Something needs to change.

The problem is we live in a society where there is enough knowledge but what people are really searching for is wisdom. One way to put that knowledge into action is to get a competitive edge. Learning the Science of Achievement (going from where you are to your goal) is a must when trying to achieve any goal you have set. What is your goal? How will you get there? Engagement is the key to getting all your needs met. When you can meet the needs of someone else, your needs can be met just as easy.

Success without fulfillment is failure. Being fulfilled isn’t something anyone else can help you with the only person capable of giving you fulfillment is yourself. Look for those people, events, or whatever else truly sticks out to you. Those will be the stepping stones to living a successful life.